The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-03-05
THe SCORPION FAMILY.
low the Yoang Insects Live ut the Ex.
pense of 1ilcir Mothers Life.

ptlse W huS'' "ohshcA = sAN'
A few ear ago while in the Island
IT Jamaics. il was my fortunate chance
o have m opportunity for
observing very curious facts in
connection with that genus Of the
Arachnids dass commonly known as
scorpions, aud the curious traits OF
character in these insects. Turning
,ver some old papers in my office one
lay. | suddenly came upon = large
black scorpion. who promptly tried to
heat a p~recipitasc retreat. Having read
" heard somewhere that if You blow on
scorpion he will not move, | tried the
experiment. and WAS greatly astonished
To find that it had that effect. The Scor-
pion stopped instantly. ilattened him
self close 20 the paper on
which he tad been running, and had
nj the appearance of "holding on for
dear life. While I continued to blow
even quite lightly. he refused to move.
though ! pushed him with u pencil and
shook tie paper 10 which he clung so
tenaeiously, Directly | ceased blow.
ing. he advanced cautiously, only to
stop aga at the slightest breath. |
was thus ai,ie to secure him in = glass
tur,bIor which happened to be within
reach, ard thou I determined to try
7no'hc: experiment AS TO the suicidal
rendcucles which | had heard run in
he Fedlpalp; family.
On the stone floor Of tliu kitchen at
tached to MY office. | arranged a circle
VI burning sticks about three yard, in
circumference, the sticks being so
placed that there were no means Of exit
through the tire. 1t was not intense.
hut small and quite bearable as regards
heat within . few inches. so that the
central part of the circle was perfectly
copl. lato this center | accordinly
dropped rhr scorpion who. on reaching
ttr7a frH1a. dartcd off in great hurry.
only to be quickly brought to Il halt
an reaching within A few inches Of the
ueripte,r Of I'll" circle. After a
short pause OF reflection. lac dcviated
70 the r;crl. and ran once completely
round the oirrtr As near to the fire
- il was prudent to venture. This he
did three times. often approaching the
burning sticks quito closely in his
anxious e~rAcNors 10 escape. In about
/, quarter Of IN hour. finding his efforts
were useless, he retired almost into the
exact center of The circle, and there in
, tragic mannn raised his tail till the
sting or spur was close to his head,
gave himself two deliberate prnds in
he back Of the neck. and thus misera-
BY persisted. Al I placed the body Of
the suicide in . bottle of spirits, | al
lnost regretted that | had not let him
escape before he had reSortad to such
IN extreme measure.
Ny last experience is even more
N,an the preceding, and it
shows Il remarkable provision of nature
nat is almost Incredible. I was play
.ng q ganc of billiards in "A small vii.
in the Blue mountains; there was
no ceiling ia the room, the roof being
covered, Is is the custom in jamaica,
with cedar wood shingles. Ny op.
,onent was smoking a large pipe. and
suddenly, Just rs | was about to play a
what | thought wa, the con.
Of my friends pipe fell on the
MStiactivc'y. was on the point
VI brushing IL of with my hand, when.
o my nlnazemrni, I saw it was a NOV
no mass, which. on closer inspection,
oUt "a DC q large female scor-
1ion, from which ran away in every
: number of perfectly formed
little scorpions about y quarter
# an ircA in length. The mother
scorpion soon ended her feeble strug-
.Ics; the whole of her back had been
4 hs her W offspring, of
which we killed the astonishing nuns
ser Of ~ttirty-eight. They had not
bee. carried by their parent, but
ley bad hrci on her. cleaning out her
body from the shell Of her back, so that
she lookWi IKE All inverted cooked crab
wh;ct the edible portions had
been renewed, She hal chung to her
retire Il II Ne >Iliuglc1 roof until near
the apprcaA of death, when she had
fallen ana owen Ms thi, curious snrc-
facie. was told by the attendant that
he youn. scorpions always live thus
the expense of their mothers life,
and that w the time her strength is
axhansss they are ready to shift for
- Christian at Work.